Time to revive this thread from the dead for a minute.
I picked up my new RIA 1911 last week and finally got to try it out today.
Loaded the factory mag with 8 rounds and fired the first 7 with no problem. Accuracy sucked, but I've always stunk with 1911's and figured I needed to warm up a bit anyway.
The 8th round didn't feed
I was a bit disappointed, but then I remembered a lot of people saying that the factory mags were not as reliable as the high quality mags. So I loaded up again and...........all 8 fired and fed properly. After a while, it became difficult to chamber the first round though.
On about the 4th mag, accuracy was improving pretty decently, getting 4" groups at 25 feet with an oddball flyer every once in a while. The ammo was Georgia Arms 230 grain reloads, which all fired and fed perfectly in my Ruger P97 and eventually in my new 1911.
The sights on the gun seem pretty decent, and I love the way it feels in my hand. I can definitely see myself falling in love with 1911's once I have a lot more range time under my belt.
The finish is about like what previous posters have stated: marginal, and it seems like it will burnish pretty easily. But I knew that ahead of time, and it is only a $329 pistol. It should work fine for its intended purpose (for me at least): a low cost 1911 that will go bang every time and be upgradable if I figure out what I want to do to it. I'm not too concerned about the finish.
Oh, the trigger was pretty decent. Short pull with little slack in it. I would say the trigger is above average for a gun in this price range.
Hope this helps to all who are considering buying one of these guns.